Harry
The time for feeling guilty, apologizing, and tears was later. For now he needed to focus at the task at hand or things would end up a lot worse. Making sure Hermione's body was entirely inside Marik's emergency shield and knowing that it would only last for probably somewhere around two minutes at most he set off, out of the shield with Hermione's wand in hand.
"Protego!" He threw up another shield as the last remaining head of the hydra sent a much more powerful than normal beam of blue magic at him. His shield vibrated at the sheer force of the impact. With only one head remaining the hydra would still be just as powerful as it had been before, since all of its magic would now be concentrated into a single head. Thanks to his lessons in care of magical creatures with Hagrid, he also knew that hydra's became much more aggressive with each head that it lost, which was a bad thing for him. Especially since while he was using Hermione's wand none of his spells would be fully powered. At least he could cast more spells than he could before, and more importantly, he could now cast spells with a little more power with her wand than he could wandlessly.
As the last few beams of blue hydra magic left his shield he continued sprinting to the middle of the cavern until he arrived at Marik's magic booster rune. He waited and readied himself for the beast's next magic attack. As soon as he saw a spark of blue he sent his spell combo off.
"Speculum, diffindo, fulminous, REDUCTO!" As he sent off his spells Harry tried to put as much of his magic through Hermione's wand as he found possible. As the hydra's burst of blue magic came storming towards him he summoned a mirror right in front of himself with his speculum spell and sent the burst of blue magic right back at the hydra. As the hydra recoiled on impact from its own spell it found itself unable to dodge against Harry's next three spells.
With his diffindo seam splitting spell, he hoped to create a large enough gash to do some serious damage with his next two spells. It seemed to work for the most part as a long stream of dark red blood shot out of the hydra's neck just as his fulminous spell collided with the water. The fulminous spell was actually a spell he had went out and learned after seeing Beauxbaton's champion Fleur perform the spell in her duel with Marik before their second year.
The fulminous spell sent a jet of lightning-based-magic out of the user's wand towards their target, which in this case was the water around the hydra. The hydra let out a painful roar as the water all around it was flowing with electricity resulting in its body being shocked over and over again. Harry mentally crossed his fingers as his last reducto spell closed in on the beast's neck.
He had put all he could into the mighty blast spell. Even with using Hermione's wand and not being able to achieve all of his power he hoped that while casting inside Marik's magic-booster-rune that the spell would be enough to end this. He watched with bated breath as the spell exploded into the gash on the beast's neck. In an explosion that hurt his ears and shook his bones, the cave was filled with one final roar from the hydra before the beast's neck exploded, releasing blood in all directions as the final head landed with a splash into the water it came from.
They did it. He thought to himself, allowing a celebratory smile at their achievement.
He jumped backwards scared, with Hermione's wand raised as fireworks went off in the cave, signaling that they had in fact finished the first task.
Hermione! He screamed inside his head and hurried off towards his best friend, who was still lying unconscious inside the shield rune.
"Rennervate!" He cast the counter spell to stupefy on his best friend and quickly found a spot on the ground next to her.
"OWWWW!" Hermione screamed again as she came back to consciousness.
"I'm so sorry Hermione," he tried to apologize, unable to hold back the pain he felt that was brought on by seeing Hermione in so much pain. "Legilimency!" He cast his mind magic spell and tried to focus as he barely entered into the edges of Hermione's mind.
You are not in pain, there is no pain, you feel no pain. He whispered into her mind. He watched her nervously as he sat beside her, hoping to see her body relax and her pain die down. After a few moments, his legilimency seemed to work and Hermione's thrashing stopped, and her eyes finally opened.
"Hermione!" he said excited, a rush of happiness overcoming him at seeing her wake up and her eyes find his.
"YOU ASSHOLE!" Hermione shouted at him and before he could react her good hand smacked him clear across the face with a loud slap sound.
"OW!" he shouted as he recoiled in pain. "What was that for?"
"For fucking stunning me at point blank range you fool! As if having a burnt and broken arm wasn't painful enough!" she shouted angrily back at him.
"I'm sorry Hermione. I just didn't want you to be in pain. . ." he said, trying to apologize again.
"When we get back to the castle you are learning a numbing spell!" Hermione shouted at him again. He couldn't help but smile at her after a few seconds of not breaking eye contact with her.
"Of course, oh great minotaur slayer!" he said playfully, not being able to contain himself from laughing at the moment. After a few seconds Hermione joined in, though she still looked to be in some discomfort and pain. When her laughing died down he saw Hermione look around the cavern.
"You did it!" Hermione said at last in excitement, only just now realising the hydra was gone.
"No Hermione, you did it. I just finished your good work. You were by far the MVP for this task," Harry told her honestly. Hermione had taken out a minotaur on her own, and practically slain the hydra almost entirely on her own. He had just helped a little with distracting it and doing the final touches.
"You're damn right I was!" Hermione said smugly. "Just kidding. That was so amazing though! I can't believe me and you just beat a fucking Hydra!"
"I can't either," Harry replied, not really sure he still believed what they had done.
"We are amazing!" Hermione said, plopping herself back onto her back and laying on the ground. Harry followed her lead and laid down next to her.
"Yeah, we are," Harry replied with a little laugh.
"No seriously Harry. We are amazing!" Hermione said again. He turned his head on the ground to face her, not failing to notice the emphasis she put on her words.
Both of their eyes met as his head turned towards hers. He found himself staring into her deep, chocolate-brown eyes as hers stared back at his with an intensity and fire that he had never seen in them before. For a silent moment the two of them just laid there next to one another, neither one of them breaking eye contact with the other. The only sound in the cavern was their breathing and the soft beating of two increasing heart rates. It wasn't before long that he knew he couldn't hold back any longer, he had already held it off for much-much too long.
His body, following on what felt like instincts, carried his head forwards towards Hermione's. He closed his eyes as his lips landed onto hers, and prayed to the magic gods that she did not pull away from him. Instead of retreat, he felt her lips push onto his, her soft, tender, and warm lips pressing harder against his.
The world around him felt like a frenzy of emotions more chaotic than any part of the task had been as their lips embraced each other, neither of them seeming to want the moment to end. Feeling courageous he pressed his mouth harder against hers, wanting more, and ready to know the taste of her tongue he pressed it against the part in her lips. But before he could move any further he felt his body being pulled through what felt like a tube, being bent and stretched before landing on the ground.
"Medical team over here now!" a voice shouted around them, drawing him out of his lust and love filled daze.
As he opened his eyes he saw the three Headmasters and other champions all around them. It appeared he had been brought back into the tent where they had waited for the tournament to start. His eyes wandered around trying to find Hermione. When he found her he could see that she was already being placed onto a magic stretcher, and hospital workers were already tending to her arm.
Next to Hermione were two other magic stretchers, both with bodies laid on them. He arched his neck to see who they were, worried one might be Marik. The body next to Hermione's looked like hell. There were bruises all over the body, along with blood, cuts, and what looked like rope burns. Through all the damage he could tell that it was a boy, thankfully not Marik though. As he looked closer it appeared that the boy's left arm was also broken quite badly. Whatever the boy had gone up against, he apparently had not won, he looked almost dead.
"So how mad do you think Alina will be at me?" a voice said from beside him and he felt an arm wrap around him as he turned his head. It was Marik.
"What do you mean? And yes we finished the task by the way," Harry asked, after giving his friend a long hug and rolling his eyes that Marik's first comment was about Alina being mad and not about how he and Hermione had fared in the task.
"Well I figured you finished the task alright enough, seeing as we are all here. And that's Dedrick next to Hermione. Bastard tried to steal our clue scroll right after you left. Think Alina will ever talk to me again?" Marik answered him. Harry noted the accomplished smile on his friends face.
"You did all that to him? Fuck Marik, what did you hit him with?" Harry asked, worried by the shape of Alina's boyfriend that Marik may have overdone it just a little.
"My foot twice, my fist once, and a few other spells," Marik said laughing. "What happened to her?" Marik asked, his eyes locked on Hermione.
"Got hit by a hydra's magic beam," Harry answered as he watched the medical staff work on Hermione.
"A HYDRA? You guys fought a fucking Hydra?" Marik shouted loudly in disbelief. A few people in the tent turned to look at the two of them.
"Yeah, that was what was behind our door. Hermione took out a full grown minotaur too on her own before I showed up and basically killed the hydra all on her own."
"What? Holy shit man, that's incredible. I can't believe I missed out on both," Marik said still in disbelief as he crossed his arms in frustration.
"Looks like you got to have some fun too though."
"Don't tell Alina how much I enjoyed it. Man, a freaking minotaur and a hydra!" Marik said, shaking his head in disbelief again. "Who is body number three?" Marik asked him as they both tried to see who was person on the third magic stretcher.
"Looks like Viktor Krum," Harry answered after he got a good sight of the Durmstrang boy sprawled out. The boy's shirt was ripped open and from where they were standing all Harry could make out was a lot of blood.
"Okay, Madame Kirkins take these three to the hospital wing. The remaining Champions gather round!" Durmstrang's Headmaster announced, and the remaining champions in the tent made their way over to the three Headmasters. Harry was starting to feel how sore his legs were for the first time as he walked and used Marik's shoulder as support. Beauxbaton's Headmistress stepped forward to address them.
"Congratulations to all three teams for completing the first task of the Triwizards Tournament successfully. You all put on one of the most entertaining and amazing spectacles of magic that the tournament has ever seen. You should all celebrate your victory and achievements tonight, but do not celebrate too much, for this is only the first stepping stone in the tournament.
"Now, just a quick few words on your performance in the first task. Beauxbatons Academy was the first to finish the first task, having defeated the Hungarian Horntail behind their door in the quickest time. Hogwarts was the second team to finish the task, having defeated their Pacific Hydra a mere fifteen seconds after Beauxbatons defeated their dragon. Durmstrang Institute was the last to finish the first task, having defeated their Ground Golem three minutes slower than both other teams.
"Hogwarts was the only team who managed to steal another team's scroll box, meaning that they will be the only team rewarded with a clue before the second task. The scroll box was stolen from the Beauxbatons base, meaning that Beauxbatons will have an automatic two points deducted from their total score.
"Out of all the teams, Durmstrang Institute suffered the most injuries, Hogwarts the second most, and Beauxbatons Academy the least with only person obtaining a small bruise. You will now be rewarded scores based off of your performance on the round from each Headmaster. The final score will be averaged out, and any deductions will take effect after the final average is given.
"For Durmstrang Institute these are your scores. I award a six," Beauxbaton's Headmistress announced.
"I award them a seven," Durmstrang's Headmaster added. He looked angry at the score he had awarded his own school with. Harry was unsure how good or bad the scores were at this point though.
"I also award them a six," Dumbledore announced.
"For Hogwarts, I award an eight," Beauxbaton's Headmistress announced to them.
"I also award them an eight."
"I also give Hogwarts a score of eight," Dumbledore announced, and smiled at both he and Marik. Harry listened on intently as the Headmasters announced the last team's scores.
"For Beauxbatons Academy, I award a nine," The giant Headmistress proclaimed with a huge smile.
"I award Beauxbatons an eight," Durmstrang's Headmaster announced, again looking angry.
"I award Beauxbatons with a nine," Dumbledore added.
"With those scores the ranking is as follows: Beauxbatons is in first with 8.7 points, Hogwarts in second with an even 8 points, and Durmstrang in third with 6.3 points. However, when we subtract the two points from Beauxbatons for having their scroll box stolen it brings the scores to Hogwarts in first with 8 points, Beauxbatons in second with 6.7 points, and Durmstrang in third with 6.3 points," Durmstrang's Headmaster announced to the champions, looking upset that his school was in last.
"First place!" Marik shouted and jumped to give Harry a hug. Harry returned the hug, a little in disbelief that they had come out on top. He wanted to run to the hospital wing to tell Hermione.
"Congratulations to you all again for a great performance. Enjoy it while you can. The second task will be on the second day of January. You may all leave now, except the Hogwarts team," Dumbledore announced to the group of champions and a groan echoed through the tent at the mention of the next task. Everyone except he and Marik exited the tent. The three Headmasters waited until the last champions left before turning to talk to them.
"Well done on stealing a scroll box in this task. Because of this you are the only team who will receive this clue," Dumbledore started to tell them. "Your clue for the next task is as follows:
Scores of doors line my halls,
Each with something special within their walls,
The mystery should be one of your fears,
What's left unsolved could end your years,
When you find the missing piece,
You should worry about yourself the least,
Because, when you look into the mirror who do you see,
But of course, it is I, your greatest enemy.
Good luck." Dumbledore told them with a final twinkle of his eyes before turning, and leaving the two of them alone inside of the tent tired and now very much confused.
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